Sweet and Chewy

On our way back to the farm we met two boys downhill. One was carrying a container half-filled with raw honey and bees. We inspected this forest’s sweetest temptation. “Try eating the honeycomb, it’s sweet and chewy”, the other boy said. I did. It’s sweet, and chewy all right. Without further ado, I bought a bottle, with extra honeycomb to chew!

Torrijos Wilderness

I was walking in the woods one afternoon. Shafts of sunlight penetrated the thick undergrowth. It is quiet, so quiet in fact, that I don’t even hear the rustle of leaves. I stepped on a twig and it snapped, then birds flew in the distance. It’s that kind of quiet, it’s the very essence of wilderness.

The Kingfisher and Fallen Acacia

We have to clear land about three hectares for planting Moringa. The old trees have to stay but the secondary ones and undergrowth need to be removed. Thick smoke bellowed from the bushfires. I was having trouble deciding whether to remove a fallen Acacia since most of its branches are rotting on the ground, and only a quarter of its roots is keeping the tree alive. But it has one long sinewy branch, like a lone standing soldier of a once mighty army. Compounding the situation is a blue bird perched on top. It has a white breast, royal blue plumage and a long and pointed black beak. He is obviously keeping his ground amidst the burning. My heart fell for the bird and I brought the melodramatic story to the group, who within split seconds of each other, blurted “Ah the Kingfisher. It attacks small animals especially chicks with its beak, and blinds them!”

Needless to say, we cut the tree.